CRICKET: Vince made Hampshire vice-captain

STEEPLE Ashton cricketer James Vince has been named as Hampshire's vice-captain for the 2014 summer season.

The England Lions all-rounder, who played for Warminster and Chippenham, agreed a three-year contract extension with Hampshire last summer and will work alongside captain Jimmy Adams.

The 22 year old, who won the Hampshire Players’ Player of the Year Award last season, told the Hampshire website: “I was delighted when Chalks (Giles White) and Jimmy approached me about the role and I can’t wait to get started.

"I’ve got plenty of fresh ideas so I’m really looking forward to supporting Jimmy as much as I can so we can have a strong season.”

“We are a young side, but we are equally experienced and with our recruitment over the winter I fully expect us to be a strong four-day team this season and hopefully we’ll challenge for promotion.

"We’ve done well in the one-day competitions over the past few years and hopefully I can play a part so that can continue.”

Vince, who has spent the winter with the England Performance Programme in Australia and the England Lions on their tour of Sri Lanka, came up through Hampshire's junior ranks before making his debut for the second team in 2007.

In 2009 he played for the Hampshire first team for the first time, becoming a regular in 2010 and making his highest first-class score of 180 against Yorkshire at Scarborough, adding 278 with Adams to break Hampshire’s fourth-wicket partnership record which had stood since 1970.

Vince was also a member of teh club's domestic T20-winning teams in 2010, 2012 and the Clydesdale Bank 40-winning team in 2012 and was their top runs scorer last season with 1,101.

The right-hander, who also took a maiden first-class five-wicket haul with the ball last season, has scored 7,470 runs for Hampshire in 204 matches in all formats.